Let me try to simplify some of the complicated processes of nutrition and the human body so that we can better understand why we get fat and more importantly, how we can get lean and healthy.
Part One:
First off, let me put an end to the "it's as simple as calories in versus calories out" debate. If it were only that simple. I find this argument being made typically by old school thinkers or those with only book knowledge. I refer to John Berardi of Precision Nutrition on this one and he talks about how the science of measuring calories in a food and recording calories is so flawed that it can not be relied on as a reasonable way to lose weight. (Yes, we all know about the professor who did the "Twinkie diet" and proved that you could lose weight on junk food alone if you just kept your calories low. Well I have never seen this man but I will bet you anything that he did not have a nice looking physique at the end of this little experiment.)
Having spent many, many years working with countless numbers of clients and with competitive bodybuilders, I have seen many attempts at losing weight and losing bodyfat. This brings up my first point. The goal of anyone trying to lose weight should be to lose bodyfat, not weight. That sentence bears repeating. The goal of anyone trying to lose weight should be to lose bodyfat, not weight. If your goal is simply to lose weight on the scale, then yes, counting calories will do it. Remember, Mr. Twinkie may have lost weight but we can be sure he wasn't lean and muscular at the end of his little test. Most people who say they want to lose weight really want to lose bodyfat. Looking better, feeling better and being more toned is a result of losing bodyfat, not just weight. Many times losing "weight" is losing muscle, so the person looks smaller, but no leaner and no better. Just a smaller sized fat person.
Having worked with bodybuilders for over 20 years, I have seen bodybuilders drop bodyfat more effectively than any other group of people in the world. Now yes, most bodybuilders use steroids and a myriad of other drugs to lose bodyfat and build muscle and I will not discount that as a huge part of why they look the way that they do. However, I have worked with many natural bodybuilders, who did not use steroids or any drugs, and many of them didn't even have good genetics. They were not competing on a high level, they were just trying to lean out for a personal goal. Not one bodybuilder, male or female or natural or drugged, got lean by eating anything other than clean protein foods, vegetables, some fruits and some "good" carbohydrates. Virtually all of them eliminate processed foods, sugars, white flour, white bread, juices, sodas, sweets, alcohol, etc. NOT ONE of them got lean by counting calories and eating bad food. NOT ONE. In fact, I have seen many, many bodybuilders keep their calories low but "cheat" on their diets and NOT get as lean as those who did not cheat. This is not to say that everyone should eat like a bodybuilder or that everyone wants to look like a bodybuilder, but it is to prove the point that eating like a bodybuilder removes bodyfat better than any other method. Period. So the goal should be to learn from the bodybuilders and eat as close to that as possible, if your goal is to lose fat and build muscle.
So, how do the bodybuilders do it? Well, let's try to simplify it here. Do the following: Lift heavy and hard. Eat clean (protein foods-organic meats, poultry, eggs and fish, eat lots of good fats, eat moderate amounts of veggies and fruits, some "good carbs" like oatmeal and sweet potatoes and eliminate anything (or as much as possible) with flour and/or sugar. Bottom line is don't try to count calories. Try to eliminate the crap and make sure you lift heavy (heavy is relative to each person) so that you maintain or even build muscle during the leaning out period and keep your metabolism stoked. (If you want to know exactly how to eat to be lean, muscular and energetic without suffering, check out my Ebook "The PROGRAM- Nutrition Protocol for fat loss." A little cardio is good but you cannot make up for cheating on your diet with cardio. (Not if you want to be lean and defined.) I have seen a million people try it and it doesn't work.
-Scott
Hook up with me here: Online training, nutrition and inner circle membership and support- www.theprogram.trainerize.com
